Supreme Court Rejects Trump's Mail Ballot Restrictions — SkimNews
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- The Supreme Court rejected Trump's emergency request to lift an injunction blocking USPS mail-in ballot rules, ruling in an unsigned order that the administration was "unlikely to succeed on the merits."
- US District Judge Indira Talwani had blocked the rule at the lower court, finding it likely violated the US Constitution and would be impossible to apply before the November midterms.
- Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a Trump appointee, sided with the majority against the administration — though he signaled he could support the policy at a later stage.
- Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented, with Alito writing that some plaintiffs lacked standing and calling the remaining claim a "Hail Mary pass."
- The USPS rule, adopted after Trump's March executive order, required states to send the Postal Service voter lists and use agency-approved ballot envelopes, and let USPS reject non-compliant ballots.
- Alabama, North Carolina, and Wisconsin have already begun sending ballots ahead of the midterm elections.
Why it matters: The ruling removes a key Trump effort to restrict mail-in voting before the November midterms. That Kavanaugh — a Trump appointee — joined the majority on a conservative court signals the administration was on weak legal ground, not just losing a close call. With ballots already going out in three states, the decision preserves the voting status quo for this cycle.
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